Guterres calls for global effort to expedite fossil-fuel phase-out

The Secretary General of the United Nations urged governments to accelerate the timelines for phasing out fossil fuels.

In a video message to the International Climate and Energy Summit in Spain, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday, October 2, that governments should speed up net-zero timelines to save the 1.5°C limit – so that developed countries get there as close as possible to 2040 and emerging economies as close as possible to 2050.

Guterres added that the goal is to limit the earth’s temperature to 1.5 degrees centigrade by clean up global energy, stressing that “Time is short, but it is possible.”

He urged governments to work together in this effort, asking for commitments to double energy efficiency, triple the capacity of renewable energy, reduce methane from the energy sector by 75 per cent, and ensure universal access to energy — all by 2030.

The Secretary General of the United Nations also urged developed countries to “honour the $100 billion commitment, and replenish the Green Climate Fund”.